So continued Evel's journey across the hunting trail. His fingers nervously tapped on the many wooden knives on his belt, the close encounter he had with the wolf still fresh in his mind.

He'd let the wolf come too close. If he hadn't used [Bulwark] and struck back in time, his entire arm would've been bitten off, and...

Things wouldn't have been well.

Nevertheless, he's alive. Tired, but alive.

Shaking the thought away, he quickly leapt behind a bush, keeping his breath silent as he watched another boar wander in the distance. It sniffed around, its snout pointing up towards the sky.

And then it dropped, blood flowing from its head as a wooden knife stabs right through its skull.

You have killed [Boar Lv - 1]! Gained 5 Exp!

It was another successful hunt.

However, before he could retrieve her wooden knife, a wolf suddenly appeared, drawn by the scent of meat and blood. Evel quickly crouched back down as he watched the wolf approach the corpse, circling around it with a wary glare. With the boar's death determined, the wolf began tearing into the boar's head.

The wolf was clearly hungry, and distracted.

It was an opportunity.

Pulling out one of his wooden knives, Evel slowly raised his arms, carefully aiming for the wolf's body. Then, as the wolf bit into the boar's body, he threw his knife with all his strength, the bush he'd been hiding behind blown away by the gust of wind that followed.

The knife ultimately missed. The wolf noticed in time and managed to twist its body away, letting the knife scratch its leg instead.

Then he threw another knife, and the wolf was too surprised to move. It cried out as the sharp wooden edge dug painfully into its side.

It struggled for a moment before it finally fell, whimpering as blood continued to flow from its gut. Evel approached it silently, his metal knife held carefully in his hand. The wolf turned to him and glared.

It didn't hold that glare for much longer, the light in its eyes fading as he stabbed his knife straight into its head.

You have killed [Wolf Lv - 1]! Gained 20 Exp!

Evel watched the wolf for a few more seconds, worried it'd suddenly come back to life and bite his head right off. It wouldn't, of course. The notification had told him that the wolf was dead, but he couldn't help but doubt it slightly.

A full minute later, the wolf still showed no signs of motion, and he allowed himself to finally breathe.

With another confirmed kill on his belt, he quickly gathered the knives he'd thrown, giving them a quick wipe before placing them back on his belt. He gave the metal knife a wipe as well, but he didn't place it back on his belt. He kept it in his hand instead, in case things turned south.

The next several minutes were rather peaceful, with no boars or wolves in sight. Only the winds and the swaying leaves accompanied him on his walk.

It reminded him of those walks he used to have with his dad, spent with him listening to the many tales his dad had.

He smiled.

It's been a while since he last did something like this. But, his reminiscence could be saved for later.

Holding his breath, he leapt behind a tree and watched another wolf in the distance. It was sniffing the air, searching for nearby prey. He slowly pulled out a wooden knife, steadying his grip as he aimed it at the wolf. He nearly flinched when the wolf turned his way, but it then turned away.

Chance given, he quickly threw the wooden knife at it. The wolf quickly noticed and jumped away, before it growled and began running at him. Reaching to his belt, he threw another wooden knife at it, and same as before, the knife missed.

Now close, the wolf leapt forward, fangs barred.

But then Evel crouched, and the wolf flew right over him. The wolf growled, surprised, before it howled in pain as he shot up and stabbed his metal knife into its gut. He took a deep breath, and with all his strength he twisted the knife and ripped its body half, sending both halves crashing onto the soil.

Then,

You have killed [Wolf - Lv 1]! Gained 20 Exp! Exp limit reached! [Evel] has leveled up!

There it is. The wondrous notification finally showed itself.

Which meant that he was finally [Level 2]! He'd finally reached it after so long!

He would've screamed with joy, but he was in the middle of a forest at the moment, and that'd only bring about trouble. So he silently celebrated instead, bringing up his status to see what changes his second level brought.

Name Evel Race Human Level 2 Exp 5/500 HP 35/35 MP 16/35 Strength 5 Agility 5 Endurance 4 Magic 2

Evel blinked, and blinked some more, eyes glittering as he stared at his newly updated status.

His stats had finally increased, and he was beyond overjoyed.

Again, he very much wanted to celebrate, but he was in the middle of a forest, and he doubted anything would enjoy him suddenly shouting about his new level.

So he continued along the trail instead, humming a nameless tune as the winds passed him by.

Amidst all that, he'd forgotten the promise he'd made, and returned a couple hours past the promised time. He deservingly received a scolding from his mom for that.

All was forgiven after a comfortable hug though, so all was good!

Oh, and the corpses of the monsters he killed had somehow dragged themselves to his field. He was grateful of course, but very much unsettled.

He tried asking his mom about it, but she was oddly evasive.

He could only wonder why.

Deliah could easily see how happy her son was, and she was too. After all, he'd finally advanced a level, something that rarely happened for a village boy like him.

It quite reminded her of the first level up she herself had, and the joy and celebration that followed. The baron she'd served under at that time rented an entire pub for her celebration. They partied from noon to night, with maids and knights mingling with one another over several shared kegs of beer.

That was the first time she met her husband, and also the first time she learnt how weak she was against alcohol.

In truth, she wanted to give her son a much brighter celebration than the simple dinner she made, but there wasn't much she could do. For how much of a sunshine her son was, he didn't have many friends in the village, and the only boy he could comfortably call a friend had moved to the big city a couple years back.

She still suggested it, asking her son if he wanted to go eat in the village's pub for once.

Her son, the wonderful sweetheart he is, declined it, saying that there was no better food than hers.

Which wasn't true, not in the slightest. Her [Cooking] skill was only on its third level, and there was still an untold length of progress she needed to make before she could be the best.

But those words warmed her heart nonetheless.

It's night now. Her son had gone to sleep. The rabbit was sleeping in the small basket she'd bought.

And she was alone, sitting just outside her home as she watched the glittering stars in the skies above. They all shined, as if to greet her, and she smiled back as the wind blew her by.

Things were changing. Her son was growing, faster than ever before, and she worried. She worried over what lay ahead, and of what they would mean for them.

Would he continue to grow with such speeds? Would he grow faster? Would he eventually leave this village, much like other boys have done before him? Would he venture towards the unknown?

She doubted her son would leave at all. He was stubborn in his desire to grow and cultivate, and the results of his efforts had showed themselves.

And even if he did leave, all she had to do was follow him.

There was nothing holding her here, after all.

She huffed and smiled, idly nursing the warm cup of tea in her hands as she watched the starry sky. There were still many days ahead, many nights to watch, and many stars to greet her by.

Then, as if called, a star flew across the sky. She blinked, surprised to see something so rare.

However, shooting stars were said to grant wishes for those who pray, right?

So she gently closed her eyes and prayed, sending her hopes and dreams towards the world beyond the skies, both hopeful and eager for what was to come.

The stars above shined back once more.